Actividay

I got back in the saddle running shoes today.  I decided to start up Couch to 5K again.  I think that is the only way I am going to lose weight and keep it off.  Yes, I don't really like running.  With my limited options at this point, I am going to have to suck it up and run.  I started at W1D1 and it went pretty well.  The weather was beautiful, and Dazie was way too excited to run.  I think tomorrow calls for a walk of reteaching her "Heil". 

After our walk/run, I took my daughters to Zoo Boom.  A walk around the zoo + carrying around my 33 pound daughter.  There was a lot of squats and lifting of treat buckets too.  They had music playing through out the zoo, so we shook our booties too.  I was really impressed with the quality of the Zoo Boo.  I think the girls got two pieces of candy total.  Otherwise it was granola bars, fruit leather, crayons, flashcards, and GC for meals at localish restaurants.  I am so glad that I decided to take the girls there instead of trick or treating in the neighborhood.  It is less to worry about.

I must go, the bath is calling my name :)

Week in Review

My goals from last week are:

• I will lose 3".  I lost 1 ½”.  It is 50% of my goal, but it is progress in the right direction.
• I will exercise for a total of 180 minutes.  I logged 150 minutes of exercise.  It is 83.33% of my goal, and I consider that met. 
• I will log all of my food for 5 days. 0% of my goal.  I am up for suggestions to get me to do this.  I have tried using on app on my phone or writing it in my planner in the past.  I have stuck to neither…

My goals for this week are:

• I will lose 3” from my total body measurements from this morning.
• I will take my vitamins daily.
• I will exercise for 180 minutes.
• I will log my food for 5 days.

I am trying to come up with reasons to support my case to my wonderful husband to get a YMCA membership:

• The kids can take swim lessons year round.
• There are also other sports opportunities through out the year.
• Fitness classes.  To take through community ed, it would cost $45 to take 6 classes that are offered 1x a week.  That is $7.50 a class.  The Y would cost 28.75 a week for a FAMILY membership with unlimited visits.  I would much rather work out in a group of people than by myself.
• Social outlet for me. 
• Costs the same as his habit.

I talked to DH this week about being more positive.  I feel like he doesn’t want to get it and how the inner April works.

The other longer term goals I mentioned last week are supported by my weekly goals.  I notice I am drinking more water thanks to the water cooler at work. 

Positivity Journal: 10 good things from last week

1. I made good progress on 2/3 of my weekly goals.
2. I started taking probiotics.
3. I have come up with a plan to get better.
4. We got a family membership to the children’s museum.  The kids have gone 3x already.
5. We went to the pumpkin patch and corn maze.  We made it through the corn maze before a grown family.
6. We went out to dinner as a family and the girls were so well behaved.
7. I got more unpacking done.
8. I am getting rid of clutter to GW.
9. I laughed a lot.
10. Less stuff is bothering me.

Hiatus no more.

Obviously, I have taken a break from my healthy lifestyle.  I have gone back further than where I started from over a year ago.  There are many reasons for this, but I don't want to get into them right now.  The important thing is that I am back on the wagon.  Here are the things I hope to do:

1. Take my measurements weekly.  I did this, this morning and will continue to do it on Tuesday mornings.  I hope to update weekly on how the inches I lose each week.
2. I really want to join the YMCA.  With relocating and a new job I am not sure we can financially afford this anytime soon.  They have a big membership drive going on.  My goal is to take steps to help allow us to have a family membership.
3. Help my DH understand what I need from him as far as support.  This is him being more positive, learning how to shop and cook more healthful foods, and continue to be the husband and father he is now.
4. Eat breakfast everyday.
5. Log everything I put in my mouth.
6. Drink more water.
7. Exercise 6 days a week.  Incorporate strength training.
8. Set weekly goals. 

My goals this week are:

• I will lose 3".
• I will exercise for a total of 180 minutes.
• I will log all of my food for 5 days.

W/O 8/15 Goals

This week I am going to stick to my goals.  I need to buckle down about this journey I am on.  My goals for the week (which will run Monday - Sunday) are:

1. I will eat 5 small balanced meals a day.

2.  I will drink 64 oz of water a day.

3. I will exercise for at least 10 minutes a day.  I will do the exercises my chiropractor gave me and add to them 5 days a week. 

Because I believe everything I read on the internet...

ETA: Disclaimer - some of this is harsh.  You may or may not agree with everything I have written.  This is about improving myself.  The first step to fixing a problem is admitting the problem.   I have a lot of things that are broken...

Today, I was cruising around the world wide web.  I found a couple of articles on Yahoo! that really summed me up.  The first one was 5 habits holding you back....um....yeah, so of the five bad habits listed I have 3 of them and 1/2 of two of them.  Here is the article:  http://shine.yahoo.com/event/poweryourfuture/5-habits-holding-you-back-and-how-to-change-them-2515577/

The first one is - I procrastinate.  I have been called out on this by one (perhaps more) of my college professors.  She knew the reason, too.  This article called out the same reason.  Perfectionism.  I am afraid my work is not going to be good enough.  I fear that I won't live up to someones expectations.  Worse yet, I have myself convinced that I work better under pressure.  Looking at my reflection in the mirror I know that is not true.  The stress and pressure have added to my waistline.  Seriously, how much of this can I blame on my back to back pregnancies and lack of time to eat right and exercise? Buehler?  Buehler?  Anyone?

The second one is I shop myself into bankruptcy.  This is only partly true.  I am guilty of rewarding myself when we don't necessarily of the the funds to do so.  I make small purchases and justify it as a reward (I worked hard and deserve it) and $5 here or $10 here really add up when you look at your budget holistically for a year.

Third, I binge when I see the goal in site.  I binged so much I gained 5 more pounds than I lost.  I think the author is onto something about being paranoid (paranoid is my take on what the author is trying to communicate) about what others think of me.  Are they jealous of my success, do they seriously think I look good, I am still fat, along with a lot of other really negative self talk. 

Fourth, I am habitually late.  This one really burns me.  Out of all of my flaws this one gets to me the worst.  Yes, I blame my tardiness on my chaotic lifestyle.  Two preschoolers, full time job, insomnia, blah, blah, blah.  Do you want to hear my other excuses?  You probably have already heard it, if you know me.

Lastly, I pick fights with my partner.  I count this as half true.  I think my hubs is just as guilty of this as I am.  I have to laugh that they call out being afraid of commitment.  Yes, I am married and afraid of commitment.  My husband is fully aware of this too.

I know I have PLENTY of room for self improvement.  What can I do to get over these bad habits?  (que the crickets chirping)  (Just kidding about the crickets).  The article did offer some good insight.  And, because I believe everything I read on the internet I will try some of these.  Hopefully, I can get over my anxieties and fears to be a better person.  Here are things I will try to get over myself...

1. Visualize the worst case scenario when I catch myself procrastinating.  By realizing that the worst case scenario will most likely never happen and things can be worse than they actually are, I will stomp out the fear of letting some one down.  BTW, I am more afraid of letting some one else down rather than myself.

2. Partake in healthy activities like exercise or doing something with the stuff I already have.  Assess what I have and consider if I really need anything else.  You know, I bet it would feel amazing to get rid of some of the stuff in the garage that has been in boxes since, um, for a very long time.  I know the work isn't appealing, but it does need to get done.  I know this is a big digression - but have you heard of the book, "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?"  Well I am sure this clutter is attributing to my weight struggle.

3. Hello April!  I love you.  You are amazing.  Live your healthy life, and give a rats patutie what others think of you.  You know you do awesome things.  Besides you are the best mommy ever.  Ask Meadow and Lily - they will tell you.  Love, April  XOXOXO

4. I am just going to copy and paste this directly, because I can't say it better myself (now praying that I don't get fired, but it is the truth)  "Make up your mind. Be clear about what you want. "If it's a career issue, ask yourself if your interest in your job is waning," says Kathryn Cramer, PhD, author of Change the Way You See Everything Through Asset-Based Thinking. "Being late is a way of disconnecting. This can be a warning that it's time to take stock and either recommit yourself or make a change." Bonus hint: Be proactive and adjust your actions or attitude rather than wait to get canned. You're always better off controlling events instead of waiting for them to control you."  This is going to take some work and a lot of effort on my part.  Why, because I have a great manager.  I don't want to let her down (see #1), but I need more out of my job.  I am afraid to have this conversation with her, but I do have my review coming up...

5. This hints at having unhealthy relationships or expectations in the relationship along with fearing that my partner may see me as a phony.  The truth is that I have changed since having children.  Slowly the April he met and fell in love with is coming back.  We all need to be patient here.  A run in with PPD is a huge cause of this, and I have come along way.  I need to see things from his perspective too.

The other article was on how to become a morning person.  If you know me, you know I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON.  If you have ever had to wake me up in the morning and you are not my cell phone, I am sorry for any pain I may have inflicted on you...That is another thing I want to work on, but as you see I have a lot going on here.  I don't want to overwhelm myself.

Playground Safety and the Obesity Epidemic

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/summertimefun/have-playgrounds-become-too-safe-for-kids-2513862/  This article got me wondering if having too safe of playground equipment is what is helping our kids become obese.  One school district banned running on the playground?  Swing and see saws banned due to moving parts.  Don’t these people coming up with these strict playground rules remember playing on the playground as a kid?  I remember swinging, pumping my legs, and propelling myself off the swing to see if I could out fly my friends.   I never got seriously injured.  My two friends did not get injured.  Sometimes you would land hard and have to shake it off, but nothing was broken.

My brother broke his collar bone playing football in elementary school.  The kid who tackled him admitted to intentionally tackling him to hurt him.  My bro did make the TD though :)

It's all in the details...Visualization

Create a Realistic Vision
I haven't posted on Chapter 2's Working It Out from Unlimited, because I am really struggling with my vision.  It feels overwhelming, because there is so much change that needs to happen to create my vision.  I am creating my vision based on the resources I have available to me now.  In my vision is: I am happy, I am active, I am enjoying a healthy lifestyle. 

Be Specific/Feel It/Sense It
I enjoy shopping at stores and buying clothes for myself.  I am active with my family.  I feel like an athlete.  I am happy, content, and well.  I always have a smile on my face and it is not forced.  I have fun in all I do.  We eat as a family and eat healthful foods.  My husband and I realize food is fuel for our bodies.

Get Excited About the Process
I can see myself being happy once I get used to the new lifestyle.  I will have to pump myself up until I get back into habit of the healthy lifestyle.